Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-07-13
u-spa,r. Ial her, say tod bless her for

tr'
Nina Clark exclaimed Capt. Mil
ney, starting back Nina Clark! Is
| there no mistake | s'lought il was"-
| .No-no-Mina Clark cant tell you
now, Milney. I'm growing weak Good.
| by, Milney-goodby"
/ II any inward trouble showed itself in
the captains face none could see IL in the
| gloom. He was silent but an instant
| and then said slowly and firmly, but in a
greatly altered voice:
Mai Cation, I'm going To put you on
nv horse and forward you to Chattanooga
| You shall be your own messenger to Nina
| Clark. You have something to live for,
and you will live, While lit does not
| matter
Had the major known that Capt. Nil.
ney was himself wounded-a painful hurt
| in the foot not dangerous, but disabling
his protests might have been vigorous.
but they would not have swerved the cap
tain. As il was, the unexpected turn
seemed to give the major u new lease Of
life. In an instant he had resolved TO live
he who n moment before had hidden
his friend goodby forever Astride the
captains horse he seemed TO get Yet
another lease of life, and all this stood
him in good stead. The troops, tired and
dispirited as they were, moved rapidly on
the road, and the majors horse kept pace
with them Long before the night was
gone Maj Galton was safe in an ambu-
lance and on the way to Chattanooga with
not a thought of anything but rest and
sleep.
And Capt Milney' Why, the captain
Jared badly He had already been too
much about on his injured foot, and it was
swollen and stiff He started to hobble
along after his men, but it went so hard
that in half an hour he gave it up and lay
down by the roadside, mile or two he
hind the rearmost of the retreating
soldiers. 1t seemed almost as if Mai
Cations new life and spirit had been alb
stracted from the captains store, Leaving
the latter ambitioEless and despairing
Il am whipped he said TO himself as
he lay down and gave up 10 WEAKNESS and
pain. Il am whipped. but not by the
enemy back there. No, a woman did i"
AT daylight next morning Capt Milney
was a wounded prisoner OF war bound for
some southern military prison Il am
whipped, " he said, as on the night before
and prepared as well as he could TO take
IL philosophically.
Seven or eight months aftcrward the
captain awoke one morning from the de-
lirium of long fever He was in hos
pital near Washington. When he first
became conscious things about him looked
almost as strange as the fantastic visions
Of that dream haunted fever land from
which he had just emerged. All things
strange, eXcept-ah. except the female
fUrrra ny fha sid. of his hot
familiar enough: it was Nina Clark She
was reading, and he had been looking at
her and wondering dreamily for some
time before she turned her head and saw
that he was awake. Then he asked the
question that was uppermost i'll his mind.
''Where is Major-Mai. Galton:" he
asked.
'Oh, Charley she cried. glad tears
streaming from her eyes You are con-
scious again, thank God You will get
well, dear! But the dreadful things YOU
have been saying while out Of your head.
The major is here, and comes i'll every
day TO see you. But you must not talk
now, and l must not talk 10 you. You
are To take good sip Of this and then 10
to sleep. Not Il word n0w-Only. Charley,
il anything is in your head about Mai
talking about in your fever, it's all mis-.
take, Chariey-a cruel, cruel mistaker'
Well, he found that out in the afternoon
Of the same day when he saw Mai Galtun
and his wife-his wife, who was not Nina
Clark. He discovered that Mina's prom
ise 10 the major-that promise which had
so exalted the major and 50 wrecked the
captain-was simply promise to set
things right with Galton lady love, who
in his absence was being influenced by an
unworthy rival. Doing this service in
volved for Nina the sacrifice of some
maiden pride and reserve, but at the ma
jor's urgent petition she did it, and even
raised him to the seventh heaven of happy
anticipation by writing him her promise
70 deliver his girl safe into his arms wheu-
ever he came home
The captain came TO think that he had
jumped at a conclusion too quickly, and
that little faith in the girl whose solemn
troth he had would have saved him trip TO
Libby prison and saved him also the fever
which attacked him the very day his ex-
change was effected. But then where
would the major have been if the Last
Man at Chickamauga had not lent him a
horse.-''R. l.. X" in Cincinnati Com
mercial Gazette.